cover image Lifespan: Who Lives Longer-- And Why

Lifespan: Who Lives Longer-- And Why

Thomas J. Moore. Simon & Schuster, $22.5 (318pp) ISBN 978-0-671-72966-0

While our Neolithic ancestors rarely lived beyond age 30, people in today's relatively prosperous democracies can expect to live 75 to 79 years. Moore's ( Heart Failure ) sure-to-be controversial study of longevity frequently challenges conventional wisdom. Reviewing the latest studies, he finds that obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels have much less impact on life expectancy than is commonly assumed, and that treatment for these risk factors does not appreciably enhance longevity. Your parents' lifespan is an unreliable guide to how long you will live, he reports. A fellow at George Washington University's Center for Health Policy Research, Moore predicts a major deadly influenza epidemic and investigates the ways new viruses emerge. Assessing the impact of marriage and work on longevity, he concludes that people who live longest are those who adapt most successfully, regardless of stress. (Apr.)